URGENT ¥¥¥ John Kerry in Baghdad on surprise visit: AFP

URGENT ¥¥¥ John Kerry in Baghdad on surprise visit: AFP

US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Baghdad on Sunday on an unannounced visit to press Iraqi leaders for greater cooperation over the conflict in Syria, an AFP reporter with him said.

Kerry's trip, his first to Baghdad since taking office, will also focus on concerns in Washington over months of protests in Iraq's Sunni Arab provinces potentially giving militant groups including Al-Qaeda room to manoeuvre.